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My Pepper dog is snuggling in for January.... and with most of us now in tier 4 we have to follow her lead for a while longer too.

�� All viruses undergo mutations, but what we are seeing in this new variant is it’s far more transmissible, especially in the under 20’s and of course this has thrown up more questions and understandable apprehension. So, I’ve gone back over all the information that I’ve learnt since last April, and want to share with you, as being informed , helps to dispel fear.

Have you been hit yet by all the posts and adverts bringing lots of guilt and shame about the Christmas period of excess and leading you to believe you need to start the new year with a detox or weight-loss diet? I am still amazed by the amount of heralded professionals in the world of Nutrition and Functional medicine still touting the need for a New Year Detox. Do we actually need to punish ourselves with juice fasts, restriction and meal replacements? The answer is NO! There is a better way…

Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin involved in regulating the growth and specialization of virtually all cells in the human body, playing important roles in embryonic development, organ formation during fetal development, ovarian health, normal immune functions, and eye development and vision

Vitamin A is a generic term that refers to compounds found as preformed vitamin A (retinol) in animal products that include dairy, liver, and fish oils (hence the use of cod liver oil) and as provitamin A carotenoids in fruit and vegetables that include: Apricots, carrots, mangoes, pumpkin, squash (yellow and winter), sweet potato and green vegetables, such spinach and broccoli. Read on to find out more about the importance of Vitamin and to to find out how our genes can reduce the ability to convert beta-carotene. 

Vitamin D is not one chemical but many, known as "the sunshine vitamin" because we naturally create it from sunlight and cholesterol - yes!  to make vitamin D3. In contrast, most dietary supplements are manufactured by exposing a plant “sterol” to ultraviolet energy, and producing vitamin D2.

Our Government has voted against an amendment to the agricultural bill which would have guaranteed imports meet the UK’s high standards for the environment, animal welfare and food safety. Food is information, from the biochemical reactions that occur at a cellular level - the types of food can actually turn on or off “good” or “bad” genes. The foods we eat control our state of health and our gut microbiome, which has multiple impacts on our immune, metabolic and mental health.  

The gallbladder is a small, but really important organ of the digestive system, and because GI problems, can be as a result of a number of pieces of a larger puzzle. In this blog I discuss a number of the functions of the gallbladder, bile and bile acids. 

We’ve been inundated with public health messages instilling fear and panic, threatening another lockdown, more mandatory wearing of masks and even night curfews, because of “soaring cases”........

Firstly, what is a case? The correct use of the term, represents someone with severe symptoms, severe enough to be admitted to hospital. However what the media and Govt are dramatically calling a case, the numbers spooling across our TV screens don’t fit this criteria at all. Find out more about cases, our immune response and my thoughts on what the population's priority should be right now...

Earlier this summer, it was announced people at risk of developing type 2 diabetes would be able to self-refer to specialist support services in a bid to curb this disease and  one of the biggest risk factors in Covid-19 deaths. The intervention of “support” is  a soup-and-shake diet weight-loss plan. 

These “meal replacements” are packed full of artificial sweeteners, emulsifiers, and gums. These very ingredients that play havoc with our gut microbiota and blood sugar levels. In addition to well-established risk factors for type 2 diabetes, including predisposition, poor physical activity, high consumption of refined and processed carbohydrates, an altered configuration of the microbial community in our gut – the microbiota – is also linked to type 2 diabetes - and what causes this "altered configuration"? yup- artificial sweeteners, emulsifiers and refined foods! 

Can we just stop! And apply some connected thinking here...?

Although many studies on fibre simply look at the association between total dietary fibre consumption and certain health markers, not all fibre has the exact same function. Therefore, it is important to consume a variety of fibres rather than just one. Read on to find out more, including links between diseases and changes of microbiota...